I let out a halfhearted laugh.
I don’t even want to start to unpack that right here, in front of him though. Kelsey is finally giving me the time of day, and while it might seem insane, the fact that I have even the slimmest of chances with her is something I can’t ignore. So I just shrug and ignore his comment.
He must sense my unease over this topic because he tilts his head and gives me a knowing look. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re still hung up on that girl—whatever her name is—from that night at the bar. That was two years ago. You have bigger priorities, like helping me.”
My fist clenches at my side, but I somehow manage to not punch my brother right now.
“Is there anything else we needed to talk about?” I ask through gritted teeth.
He pats me on the back. “Alright, let’s go eat before your flight.”
He heads toward the exit and I follow along absentmindedly. Just like I’ve followed him for years.
Today though, my mind swims with his expectations of me. But I know one thing for sure.
I can’t get to the airport and back to Jackson soon enough.
CHAPTER 18
KELSEY
“Thanksagain for letting me know you were coming in today. I know it’s your day off.” I slide off the countertop behind the bar at Gloria’s. I spent all morning and early afternoon at Cowgirl Coffee before Rich texted me that he was popping by. So I came here and met him to learn the rest of the bar menu and we’re just now finishing up.
He tosses his bar towel over his shoulder. From his tattooed forearms to his worn apron, he’s got the surly bartender look down pat. The only reason I know he’s actually a sweetheart is because he’s a regular at Cowgirl Coffee with his wife. Those two are attached at the hip and are the sweetest couple.
“Oh, it’s no big deal. I come in every now and then when we’re closed to do prep work for some of our infusions and mixers. Plus Chef seems pretty keen on you,” he says with a thick draw. That’s not what sticks with me though. It’s the ‘Sutton being keen on me’ part that makes my teeth dig into my lower lip. I try to ignore how that part plays with my emotions and roils my body.
“Well, thanks anyway. I appreciate it.”
“I’d do just about anything for him—so really, I don’t mind. We’re like a family here. It’s just how we do things.”
“What do you mean?”
He shrugs one shoulder. “That’s how Chef likes us to work. We’ve worked side by side for years now. We watch each other’s backs. We take care of each other. He’d give any one of us the shirt off his back.”
“Oh.” I’m trying to not sound disappointed that he treats everyone like that and not just me, but even I can hear how my voice drops.
Rich must too because his pleased grin returns. “He’s never given anyone his car before. He loves that thing.”
“Oh, you know about that? He said he barely drives it,” I scoff.
He raises a brow at me. “It’s his baby, well, besides Oscar. His dad and younger brother are car mechanics. I’ve watched him spend an hour just cleaning the wheels and tires on that thing on more than one occasion. You don’t even want to know how much time he’ll spend vacuuming every nook and cranny if no one stops him.”
That revelation makes something stir in my stomach. I’d say it was butterflies, but I’m not sure that would do this strange, warm, and fuzzy sensation justice. “Oh. I didn’t realize that.”
This whole time he’s been acting like he couldn’t care less about that car. He made it feel like I was doing him a favor by driving it, not the other way around.
And what have I been doing this whole time?
Spilling my iced coffee in it. Letting Felix shed god knows how much fur in it. Even with the cover I put over the backseat, German Shepherd fur is like sand at the beach—it’s going to be in everything and everywhere for days to come.
“Yep. He’s one of a kind.” He caps a bottle of a freshly made infused liqueur and puts it in the undercounter fridge. “Anyway, go on and get out of here. Or I guess upstairs? Either way, I’m going to finish up, then check on Oscar before I head out.”
“I can take care of her. Don’t worry about it.”
“Thanks. She might be small, but she’s a fussy little thing.”
While Rich packs up to leave, I walk through the back of the restaurant, past Sutton’s office, to go upstairs. Even though most of the first floor of my grandma’s house was gutted to create the open restaurant, the room that’s now the office and the old staircase remain untouched.